Considering the Rapture

There is no doctrine that is so popular to debate as the Rapture, and for good reason. Many doctrines are vital matters of orthodoxy, and many less essential doctrines are too technical for most people to care. Therefore, the Rapture and its timing is one of the most widespread non-vital debates in the Church. I have not yet come to a conclusion on this matter, but I would like to present the most common verses regarding the Rapture and their interpretations for and against each main view (the pre-wrath view will be excluded, because its evidence is similar in many respects to mid-tribulationism and is a young, minority perspective). Before I start, I would like to lay down some rules:

• There is nothing heretical about embracing any of the Rapture timing views over the others.
• All views are consistent with a literal interpretation of Scripture.
• There is no single verse that settles the issue.
• The most minute evidence of wording is still worth considering (see Mark 12:26-27, Galatians 3:16).

1 Thessalonians 5:9

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Pre-trib and Mid-trib: This verse demonstrates that the Church is not to go through the outpouring of God's wrath during the Tribulation. Therefore we will be raptured beforehand.
  Rebuttal to Post-trib Argument: Because this verse is located in a passage about the end times, it follows that "wrath" should be interpreted both as relating to eternal destinies in Hell and God's eschatological (end-times) wrath on the world. The reason we won't be caught off-guard if we are alert and obedient is that we will recognize the "signs of the times" just as Israel failed to do when Jesus came.
• Post-trib: The mention of salvation, along with common sense, shows that it is simply referring to deliverance from final judgment to Hell. This same passage also tells us that we will not be surprised at the Rapture if we are alert and follow God, which makes sense if we will expect the Rapture to come about 7 years after the Tribulation begins.

Revelation 19:11-21

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great." And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

• Pre-trib and Mid-trib: There is no mention of a resurrection in this passage, or the saints being called to meet with Christ in the air. This is because that has already happened. Besides, if the Rapture happened then, it would be ridiculous. The saved living and dead are caught up, transformed, given white robes and horses, and then they start heading back down to earth with Jesus?
• Post-trib: This is simply an argument from silence. It was implied by the presence of the believers that they were raptured then, since it didn't happen beforehand. The announcement of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb immediately precedes this, which indicates that Christ will gather His bride as He comes down.

Matthew 25:13

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

• Pre-trib and Mid-trib: Jesus says here that we will not know the day of the Rapture. Yet we know that half of the Tribulation will be 1260 days. Since the middle of the Tribulation will be quite visible and obvious when the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and desolates the Temple, anyone in the second half of the Tribulation would know the exact day of the Rapture and could count down to it if it happened post-tribulation.
• Post-trib: All 1260 days means is about 3 1/2 years. That doesn't necessarily mean exactly 1260 days. Besides, most people will probably be counting wrong, either using Julian years or counting days from midnight to midnight, even though Jews counted days from sundown to sundown. There are many ways the Rapture could still be unknown in day and hour.

Revelation 4-19

I'm not quoting that much material.

• Pre-trib: The Greek word for "church" is not present once after the first three chapters of Revelation, which consists mainly of letters to the churches. That indicates the Church is not present during the Tribulation.
• Mid-trib and Post-trib: That is an argument from silence, and is insignificant in the scheme of things.

Revelation 3:10

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

• Pre-trib: This verse explicitly teaches that God will keep the Church from the time of the Tribulation. This means we will be raptured beforehand.
• Mid-trib: This verse teaches that God will keep the Church from the outpouring of His eschatological wrath in the second half of the Tribulation, therefore the Rapture will occur halfway.
• Post-trib: This verse is speaking strictly to the church at Philadelphia. The letter to Philadelphia has important truths in it for us, but this verse is speaking specifically to the Philadelphian Christians. It is not a reference to the Tribulation or the global Church. (Note that some pre- and mid-tribulationists agree with this).

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

• Pre-trib: This really had no impact on the Rapture debate and serves only to alleviate the Thessalonians' unease about false teachers who were preaching that the "day of the Lord" had already come.
• Mid-trib and Post-trib: Why would Paul bother reassuring the Thessalonians of the signs of Christ's coming if the Chuch will be raptured before these signs take place? All he'd have to tell them is that the Church won't be here for the Tribulation.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8

And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming."

• Pre-trib: "He who now restrains" is the Holy Spirit within the Church. Before the Antichrist is revealed at the beginning of the Tribulation, the Church must be taken out of the world, and the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit with it. This is not to say He will cease all earthly activity. Many pre-tribulationists believe that He will return to His role of "coming upon" people as in the Old Testament. Also like in the Old Testament, many will believe even without His presence in the Church.
• Post-trib: There is no reason to believe that the restrainer is the Holy Spirit. It could be the sovereignty of God or Michael the Archangel (who is seen in Scriptures past as restraining demonic forces).

The Flood Analogy

God's actions in the flood are an indication of how He will deal with the end times.

• Pre-trib: God removed Noah and his family from the sudden Flood, putting them on an Ark to take them out of the wrath of God unleashed on the earth. Lot in Soddom and Gommorah is another example.
• Post-trib: God protected Noah and his family through the outpouring of His wrath in the Flood by placing them in the Ark.

There is much more evidence to consider than I can present here, but hopefully this is sufficient to give a basic idea of how each view relates to Scripture. For more information, see the following:
http://www.gotquestions.org/pretribulationism.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/midtribulationism.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/posttribulationism.html